Kitchen cabinets

This project is not something I went looking for. I used to build kitchens but have decided in recent years to focus on furniture. I find it is more interesting to build furniture and since I do this on my own, furniture is less demanding, generally no concrete deadlines to meet and it’s just less of a commitment time wise. More importantly, I have a full time job, not in the woodworking trades, so my time is very limited, to just a few hours in the evenings and Saturdays. My intention is to build my shop and clientele so when I semi-retire it will give me a revenue source and a reason to get out of bed in the mornings.

This job was built for some neighbors who did a build out on their house. I spent the better part of four months building it. This project was completed shortly after my cancer diagnosis just prior to surgery so I was out of commission for a while after this. The homeowners wanted me to do the bathroom cabinetry in three bathrooms and multiple closet organizers and the laundry room cabinetry but I declined not knowing how long I would be out of commission. I did manage to complete the pantry room shelving, not pictured.

I can honestly say, aside from the kitchen I owe my wife, this is probably the last one I will do, unless I find myself down and out. Kitchens are huge commitments and I don’t like being married to the shop. All the cabinet cases were made from 3/4” duralam finished two sides, all solids are paint grade hard maple for exposed surfaces and clear maple for drawer boxes and pull outs. Blumotion slides and stainless steel handles and pulls.

Very, very nice kitchen. Four months for all those cabinets seems like really fast work for someone who does woodworking on the side. We’re sure your neighbor was disappointed that you weren’t able to do all the other cabinets, too.

One concern that pops right out at me is the range and microwave hood combination. That range appears to be a High BTU Gas unit. Typically, microwave hoods are not rated to go above this type of range. (Temps are going to be higher and ventilation volume should be higher.) I can see that you raised the uppers, I presume to comply with the code for combustible surfaces above a range, but they still look to be a little close to me. Of particular concern is a potential fire risk (from extra heat on the microwave and cabinets) as well as the ventilation volume may be inadequate (Carbon monoxide danger).

For safety sake, please review these issues. I’d hate for anything dire to happen to the neighbors.

-- "Hard work is not defined by the difficulty of the task as much as a person's desire to perform it.", DS251